PicoQuant will release a super-resolution upgrade to its confocal microscopy system MicroTime 200. The STED (stimulated emission depletion) upgrade will be presented during PicoQuant's 20th International Workshop on 2-5 September 2014 in Berlin, Germany.
The MicroTime 200 is a powerful and versatile FLIM and FCS platform that allows users to perform a range of measurements down to the single molecule level. The upgrade will offer spatial resolution several times lower than the diffraction limit. Apart from imaging, where increased resolution allows the distinction of smaller structures, STED can be used in spectroscopy for more accurate 2D FCS measurements.
STED microscopy reaches spatial resolutions below 100nm by de-exciting fluorophores in the outer region of the excitation focus, achieved by shaping the de-exciting (STED) laser into a donut shape with the excitation laser in the centre. The shape and intensity of the STED laser define the resolution of the microscope.
Externally triggered lasers and confocal detection with time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) allow for various excitation schemes and detection modalities. As an open platform, the MicroTime can also be combined with other devices such as an atomic force microscope (AFM), a spectrometer, or a cryo-chamber.